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VISUAL QUALITY <br /> Environmental Setting <br /> The 56.9 acre project site is a flat, open parcel of agricultural <br /> land located within the Central Valley. Figure 3.6 shows site views from <br /> Austin Road and Mariposa Road. These views are typical of other loca- <br /> tions surrounding the site. Views to the horizon from the site and, more <br /> generally, from the project vicinity are unobstructed in all directions. <br /> A few scattered trees located within the vicinity and adjacent to the <br /> project site are the only natural visual elements which occupy the <br /> horizon. <br /> The development of agriculture and agricultural production within <br /> the Central Valley are the most significant factors which have shaped the <br /> visual quality of the project vicinity. Recent institutional , industrial <br /> and transportation land use development in the vicinity has eroded the <br /> dominance of the traditional visual elements found in this agricultural <br /> landscape. Currently, the visual quality of the project area is composed <br /> of historic and modern visual elements including farmhouses, farm acces- <br /> sory buildings, institutional buildings, cultivated fields, telephone and <br /> electricity lines, rural roads, and railroads. Historic elements such as <br /> agricultural fields, rural roads, farmhouses and accessory buildings are <br /> scattered throughout the project vicinity. Modern elements are concen- <br /> trated at a few locations within the project vicinity and tend to utilize <br /> land area far more intensely. This would include the Northern California <br /> Youth Center, the Northern California Women's Facility and the Stockton <br /> Metropolitan Airport. These facilities consist of many massive, multi- <br /> story structures containing residential units or specialized operations. <br /> Impacts and Mitigation Measures <br /> Impact I - New Development <br /> The proposed project would put a 20-acre, industrial-type facility <br /> on a 56.9 acre open site. The facility would include a number of perma- <br /> nent prefabricated metal structures, silos, roads, parking areas and <br /> storage areas for biomass piles. The height of the facility's structures <br /> 3-85 <br /> 104-5.R3 4/11/89 <br />